Dubai Electricity & Water Authority (DEWA) | 2nd Solar Decathlon Middle East begins with 8 teams from 11 international universities

The 2nd Solar Decathlon Middle East (SDME) has begun under the patronage of HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Executive Council of Dubai. The competition is organised by Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) as part of its partnership with the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy and the US Department of Energy. The 2nd SDME has attracted 8 teams from 11 universities around the world. The participating teams have started building their smart and sustainable houses in the SDME Village at the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park.

DEWA organised a welcoming ceremony for the university teams in the presence of HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, Vice Chairman of the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy and MD and CEO of DEWA, and senior DEWA officials.

“It is my pleasure to welcome you to the UAE, the incubator of innovators and the destination for entrepreneurs and start-ups from all over the world, with its environment that shapes the future under the wise leadership of His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE; His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai; and His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces. I am also delighted to welcome you to the Mohammad bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, the largest single-site solar park in the world with a planned capacity of 5,000 megawatts by 2030. It currently provides around 10% of Dubai's power capacity, with plans to achieve 75% of the energy mix capacity from clean energy sources by 2050, as per the Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050,” said Al Tayer.

“We are hosting the 1st and 2nd Solar Decathlon Middle East in Dubai under the patronage of HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Executive Council of Dubai. This is part of a partnership between the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy and Dubai Electricity and Water Authority with the US Department of Energy. It supports the vision of our wise leadership to empower young innovators. This is also part of DEWA’s efforts to encourage young people from around the world to unleash their potential and motivate them to be creative and innovative, especially in sustainability. We encourage them to develop innovative solutions that support global efforts to address climate change and promote the shift towards a more sustainable lifestyle. We believe that young people are the driving force for a brighter and more sustainable future. The second SDME is especially important as it coincides with Expo 2020 Dubai, held under the theme 'Connecting Minds, Creating the Future.' This theme and Expo 2020 Dubai’s topics of Sustainability, Mobility, and Opportunity fully aligns with the objective of this global competition. This year's competition also coincides with the Year of the Fiftieth in the UAE, where we celebrate 50 years of the establishment of the UAE and are preparing for another 50 years of leading achievements. The DEWA pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai has a dedicated stand that displays models of the houses that you participate with in this SDME, along with the sustainable smart home that won the first place in the 1st SDME,” added Al Tayer.

“The first SDME in 2018 achieved several significant results and helped develop smart and sustainable homes that were implemented in development projects across Dubai. I am confident that the innovative models that you participate with in this competition will be a significant addition to the sustainable development process. You will add smart and sustainable homes that use the latest disruptive technologies that make cost and energy and water consumption more efficient. This all helps conserve natural resources for generations to come,” Al Tayer added.

Al Tayer thanked 2nd SDME's sponsors and partners, the professors and team supervisors, and everyone involved in organising this prestigious global competition, and wished all the participating teams every success.

Waleed Bin Salman, Executive Vice President of Business Development & Excellence at DEWA, said that the Solar Decathlon is the most competitive for international universities. It involves young people in sustainable development by getting them to design, construct, and operate smart and sustainable solar-powered homes that take into account the regional climate conditions. The teams compete in 10 contests: architecture; engineering and building; energy management; energy efficiency; comfort conditions; house functioning; sustainable transport; sustainability; communications, and innovation.

The list of teams participating in the second SDME includes Team KU of Khalifa University, UAE; Team Sharjah of University of Sharjah, UAE; Team Desert Phoenix of University of Louisville (USA), Higher Colleges of Technology (UAE), American University in Dubai, and American University in Sharjah; Team HARMONY of The British University in Dubai; Team ESTEEM of Heriot-Watt University, UK and Heriot-Watt University, Dubai; Team TAWAZUN of Manipal Academy of Higher Education Dubai Campus; Team Go Smart of University of Bahrain; Team SCUTxCCSIC of South China University of Technology;

The public will be able to visit the SDME Village in the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park to view the homes built by the university teams participating in the 2nd SDME, from 11 to 25 November 2021. More information is available on the competition’s website www.solardecathlonme.com